It's All About The Money
by Ronnie K
Summary: Ayano has had all she can take with Kazuma always talking about money. She learns something that changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

I was inspired to write this story after reading "Secrets" by kazenostigmafan4ever.

* * *

It's All About The Money

"Hey, this is what I'm paid for, Princess."

Kazuma had that smirk on his face when he said it, too. It was the last straw for Ayano.

It had been a long day. The youma they'd been chasing all morning was a lot tougher than it had looked. On top of that, Ayaon had let her concentration lax and Kazuma had to save her from being drowned. She _hated_ water youma. In short, it had been a horrible day all around.

And when she was so gracious as to thank him for his assistance, Kazuma had the nerve to bring that subject up again. Money. It really upset her to know that Kazuma Yagami, the most powerful wind user she'd ever known, and someone she thought was her friend, was bought and paid for by her father to train her and be her bodyguard.

He expected to get paid for everything he did. It was so wrong! Why couldn't he do something just because it was the right thing? Why did he have to be so-mercenary? Didn't she mean anything to him?

She couldn't even stand to be around him anymore. Not right now. She needed to go home and cool down, so she began to stomp away."

"Where are you going, Ayano?"

"I'm going home! Goodbye!"

He watched her go. It was fun to tease the little redheaded minx, but there was more reason than that for his barbs. He had a lot more enemies than Ayano had. Everyone who'd gotten close to him in the past had been hurt or killed and he would leave Japan in a minute if he thought that might happen to Ayano. It was bad enough that he worked with her every day. That, all by itself, probably made her a target. He was selfish enough to realize that he didn't want to leave her. Ever. But, it just couldn't be that way. The best thing for Ayano, he decided, was for him to go away and never come back. He was beginning to think that the day for that to happen is coming very soon.

Talking to Jugo, he had hinted at possibly leaving some day, but her father had practically begged him to stay. Jugo still had dreams of bringing Kazuma back into the Kannagi family. And he was going to use Kazuma's feelings for Ayano to reel him back in. Kazuma couldn't allow that. He cared for Ayano too much to see her hurt because of him. If he was really going to be honest with himself, he'd admit that he couldn't bear the thought of what happened to Tsui-Ling happen to Ayano.

If Jugo had dreams of grandkids running around the family compound, it would have to be from someone other than him. Just thinking of Ayano with someone else made his heart stop. He knew it had to happen some day and when it did, Kazuma vowed he would be far away.

So, instead of kissing her or holding her like he wanted to, he teased her and made her angry enough to walk away from him. It hurt to do that, but what choice did he have? He walked towards his apartment, buried in his thoughts, as a light rain began to fall.

* * *

Jugo was sitting down to a nice cup of tea when Ayano barged in, closing the door firmly behind her. She was angry. So what else was new? She only got this upset over one person. As he calmly sipped his tea, he wondered what it was that she imagined Kazuma had done now? He knew he didn't really have to wonder because his daughter was certainly going to tell him. In detail. And loudly.

Ayano Kannagi was most certainly her late mother's daughter. They shared the same general appearance, red hair and slim figure, but more importantly, they shared the same temperament. It took her mother years to learn to control hers while Ayano was still learning. Jugo had hoped that Kazuma's laid back demeanor and his lessons would begin to rub off on the girl. There was noticeable improvement, but there was still a little ways to go.

He had to admit to himself that Ayano was no longer a girl, but a woman. Only when she let her temper get the best of her did she act like a child. Thankfully it didn't happen as often as it used to. Part of the reason was that she really was growing up. The other part, he was certain, was because of Kazuma. And yet, Kazuma was also the reason she sometimes reverted back into a young girl. It was very confusing.

"Father, I cannot work with that man anymore! I'm a grown woman and I don't need a bodyguard..."

"Ayano-"

"...I think you need to take my feelings..."

"Ayan-"

"...into account when you-"

"Sit down, Ayano!" He hated yelling, but when she was like this, it was the only way to get her to slow down and maybe even listen.

Ayano had the grace to be embarrassed at her behavior in front of her father. She blushed prettily and sat down in front of him and hung her head. Most of her anger drained from her face and her body relaxed.

"I'm sorry, father. I just get so mad."

"I know, dear, but you have to try to control this anger of yours. Anger is important for generating fire magic, but anger out of control is dangerous for you and everyone around you. As the next head of the Kannagi Clan, you must be able to control yourself."

She sighed, "Yes, Kazuma has lectured me on that more than once."

"That is part of the reason he is here, Ayano. To help you with that."

"He doesn't care about any of that, father. All he cares about is the money. Always talking about his getting paid to do this and that and I'm sick of it", she said bitterly. "Even when he saved my life, he charged us for that stupid elixir he gave me."

"So, you want him to do these things for you and not the money?"

"For me? No—I—he..." Tears glistened in her eyes as she tried to explain what she meant.

"You want him to care about you, is that it?"

He head bowed, she admitted in a small voice, "Yes. Is that so much to ask?"

Well, he got her to admit something, at least.

He had to admit to himself that he had ulterior motives in all of this. The Kannagi line must continue and to do that, Ayano would someday need to get married and have children. Kazuma had been cast out of the Kannagi clan for his lack of proficiency in fire magic, but has since become someone who, aside from the Spirit King of the Wind himself, many consider the most powerful wind magic user in the world. Bringing him back into the family by someday marrying Ayano would be perfect.

It wasn't as if there was no attraction between them. He had seen it, all of Ayano's friends had seen it. Even Kazuma had seen it, though for some frustrating reason he refused to act on it. The only one who remained seemingly clueless was Ayano herself. She knew it on an instinctive level, but would not acknowledge it. Should he try to force her to acknowledge it? None of his other matchmaking ideas seemed to work. Might as well give it a try.

"Alright, it's settled then." Jugo stood up as he said this.

"What is settled, father?"

"You are right, daughter. You are a grown woman now and have no need of a bodyguard or a partner. There are plenty of Kannagi relations that can help us with our cases, and then there's always Kirika and the special investigations unit to help also."

Ayano rose too. "Thank you, father, I-"

"And so, I'm letting Kazuma out of our contract. He can resume the life he led before he came back to Japan and you can have some peace of mind."

"What!" Her legs gave way and she plopped back down to the floor. The look of panic on her face was so endearing that Jugo wanted to laugh, but he kept his face and voice stern.

"This is what you are asking for, is it not? Frankly, I'm tired of you coming in here every other week and throwing a tantrum about Kazuma. Perhaps this is for the best, anyway. I may have been wrong to think that Kazuma could help you with your training and your control issues. It seems that maybe Kazuma is what's holding you back from your full potential."

"That's crazy, father! Kazuma has taught me a lot. I wouldn't be anywhere near as proficient with my magic if it wasn't for him!" Ayano managed to get to her feet again to face her father. She was angry again, but she was in control of herself. Jugo was very impressed.

"Crazy? Isn't this what you've been asking me to do?"

"No! I mean, yes-I". Her tears were back, but she wasn't even trying to hold them back now.

Now that the damn had broken on her emotions, Ayano was ready to speak rationally and Jugo could help her figure out what the problem really was.

"Let us sit down again, Ayano, and see if we can figure out what's really going on."

They sank down to the floor again, as Ayano wiped her eyes. She was staring at the floor again, but that was fine with Jugo. He knew that meant that she was ready to really talk.

"Now, what is it about this that is really bothering you?"

"It's like I said before, he keeps bringing up the money you pay him. He doesn't work with me because it's the right thing to do, he does it for the money. It's always the money." She sniffled and wiped her eyes again.

"You want him to work with you and teach you because he wants to. And because he cares for you, is that it?"

Still staring at the floor, she nodded. "Yes."

Now, Jugo really had a problem. How to tell her the truth without breaking confidence with Kazuma? While Ayano sat trying to collect herself again, Jugo thought the matter over. He and Kazuma never really had a spoken agreement about this, so telling Ayano wouldn't really be breaking his trust, now would it? His reasoning was a little thin, but he excused himself on the grounds that this was really about his daughter's happiness and not just about some contract. Besides, he and Kazuma had been lying to her since the beginning and it had to stop. Kazuma lied directly, but Jugo had lied by not correcting this sooner.

He got up from the floor and walked across the room. When he returned he was carrying a ledger. An accounting book that had "Kazuma Yagami" on the cover. He handed the book to Ayano.

"As the next head of the family, you should be knowledgable about our expenditures. This is the ledger we use to keep track of every payment to Kazuma."

She opened the book and began to go over the figures. Each case that Kazuma was hired for was on it along with notes on what service was rendered and what price was paid. She was a little shocked to note that the prices weren't as exorbitant as Kazuma had led her to believe.

More shocking was the fact that there was nothing noted in there involving 'bodyguard' or 'training' or 'elixir'. She also noted that the first entry should have been the case involving saving his brother Ren from the Fūga Clan, but there was no entry for it at all. She remembered how angry she was when he said he wanted to be paid for saving his own brother. How insulted she felt, even after her father had assured her that he asked for money only in order to save face.

But it wasn't true. Almost none of it was true. Sure, he got paid for working cases, but he was an investigator by trade and he did have to live, right? And he wasn't making the king's ransom he was always bragging to her about. He probably made some cash from Special Investigations too, but they didn't call him in all that often.

She thought that she should really be mad at him for lying to her all this time, but she just couldn't work up the anger this time. But, why? Why did he lie to her about this? He knew damn well that when he did mention the money, she flew off into a rage at him. He wanted her to get angry enough at him to leave. Why? And why did she feel so sad thinking about it?

Ayano closed the ledger and handed it back to her father with a tired "Thank you" and slowly rose to her feet again. The air seemed to go out of her. She felt empty.

"You aren't going to cancel Kazuma's contract, are you, father?"

"Only if you want me to, Ayano."

"No, please don't." She moved towards the door.

"Where are you going now?"

She stopped, but did not turn around. "I was going to see Kazuma and demand an explanation, but I think it would be better if I slept on it, first. I want to work some things out in my mind and I need to think carefully about what I want to say to him." She closed the door softly behind her as she left.

Well, either things are going to turn around for the better now or it's all over. Unfortunately, he had no idea which it would be. For the first time in her life, Jugo had no idea what she was thinking.

He stared at the door for a moment after Ayano had gone. There were tears in _his_ eyes now.

"She really has grown up."

_To be continued in Chapter 2._


	2. Chapter 2

*****I was originally looking to do only 2 chapters for this story, but it looks like the story decided it needed to be a little longer. Thank you for being patient. It's a bit of a short chapter. Sorry about that.**

**It's All About The Money – Chapter 2**

As he approached his hotel, he saw that Ayano was there waiting for him at the door. She immediately went to him, brushing the hair from his forehead so she could check his wounds. Well, they were really just big scratches, but girls always over-reacted to these things.

_Women_ always over-reacted, is what he meant. Ayano was not a little girl anymore. She was a full grown woman and he had been painfully aware of that fact for quite a while.

"Kazuma, what happened, are you all right?"

She was so beautiful when she was worried. She was beautiful when she was happy or sad or even when she was mad. Each day it seemed that she was more and more beautiful. It was killing him.

Satisfied that he wasn't going to die right there on the sidewalk, she stepped back to look at him.

"So, what happened? How did you get all scratched up?"

"A rogue wind user", he told her. "Woman managed to sneak up on me and hit me with a cheap shot. Knocked me flat on my face. I took care of her, though. I need to get upstairs so I can shower and get a change of clothes. I'll be back down in a while if you want to wait in the lobby."

Turns out she didn't want to wait in the lobby, but followed him to the elevator. That was odd. Ayano usually got squeamish whenever he mentioned changing clothes or taking a shower. Not today.

They got up to his room without saying much of anything and it wasn't until he took his jacket and shirt off that she saw his back.

"Oh Kazuma! Let me see that!" His back had two gashes in it, deep enough to have gone through his jacket and shirt and deeply into his back. They were only a couple of inches across, fortunately. He couldn't see them and he'd certainly had worse wounds, so he had assumed it was just a couple of minor scratches. Ayano didn't agree with that assessment.

She made him lie down on his bed, shirtless, while she examined the damage. Both of them were on his bed, he was shirtless, and she wasn't turning red and running out of the room from embarrassment. Either the wounds were worse than he thought, or Ayano really was becoming a more mature woman. Probably a little of both.

"This is not good, Kazuma." She stood up and went to the closet. She came back with a first aid kit. He hadn't even known it was there.

"It's just a couple of scratches, Ayano. Really."

"They are not just scratches, Kazuma. You aren't going to die or anything, but these cuts are deep and they need to be washed out so you don't get infected. You probably need some stitches too, but I'm not stupid enough to think that you'll actually go to the hospital to get them." She began to unpack the kit while she said this.

"Besides", she continued, "didn't you notice your shirt when you took it off? The back has blood all over it and so does the top of your pants."

He wanted to argue, but it would have been stupid. He hadn't noticed the shirt when he took it off and he couldn't see the wounds. How could he argue with her?

Besides, she was touching him now. Cleaning the wounds hurt more than the wounds themselves did, but he wouldn't complain. He just closed his eyes and lay there, enjoying the gentle touch of her hands on him and trying not to wince at the same time. He would go through much worse pain than this just to have her hands on him.

It reminded him of their relationship. The joy of working together and creating a close bond with each other, along with the pain of argument and discord. The argument and discord was unavoidable. She was hot-head sometimes and he was a jerk sometimes. There were going to be conflicts. He kind of enjoyed that part of their relationship too, if he was going to be honest with himself about it.

Speaking of honesty, he was glad that his wounds stung as she cleaned them because her touch was beginning to drive him crazy. He wanted to turn and throw her down on the bed. _He_ wanted to be touching _her_. Everywhere. He wanted to bury his face in her silky red hair. He wanted to feel that hair draped across his bare skin. He wanted to trace the buttons on her dress with his finger. He wanted to kiss the tip of her nose, then behind her ear and down her neck... He wanted to do these things and so much more, but he knew that it could never happen. It couldn't happen even is she allowed it, which is something he wasn't sure about.

There were times when he thought she might welcome his advances but there were other times when he was sure she would punch him in the face if he so much as hinted at being interested in her in that way. That wasn't really the issue, though.

She was the next leader of the Kannagi clan. It was going to be up to her to continue the Kannagi line. She would need to get married and have children. Children with the ability to master fire magic. He, the man thrown out of the clan because of his failure to master it, could not be part of that plan. She needed a husband from one of the many branch families. Just the thought of Ayano with another man made him angry. More than angry. But it's how it had to be.

None of those men would approach her while he was hanging around her all the time. Everyone assumed that the two of them were dating. And nobody was going to risk angering Kazuma by trying to put the moves on Ayano while he was in the picture.

That was why he had been avoiding Ayano lately. Well, not avoiding her exactly, but he made sure not to make daily appearances at the Kannagi compound like he used to. At some point, he would stop visiting altogether. He would slip out of her life gradually if he could. She needed to get used to him not always being around. If he could get her used to that without her realizing it, so much the better. It hurt his heart to even think about it, but it was best for her.

She had already cleaned the wounds and was finishing up with the bandages. He hoped they were waterproof because he really needed that shower now. A very cold one.

She sat him up, then and began to clean out the scratches on his forehead too.

"So, why did you come to visit me, Ayano?"

She avoided his eyes as she concentrated on her work. "I wanted to ask you to dinner tomorrow night."

"Dinner?" He gave her an odd look. "Have I done something wrong?"

She laughed. He loved her laugh. "No, silly. Is eating dinner with me a punishment? Is my company that bad?"

He smiled back at her. She was done with his scratches now and was staring into his eyes waiting for his answer.

"No, no, of course not. It's just that you usually don't make me take you out to dinner unless you're mad at me about something I did." She was looking at him so intently that he couldn't help but return her gaze. He saw something in her eyes that he told himself was not there. Could not be there. He must be indulging in wishful thinking again. He found himself doing that a lot lately.

"Did I say you were buying me dinner? No, I did not. _I_ am asking _you_ to dinner and that means _I'm_ paying for it. We have reservations at Osaka's, so wear something nice." Well, this was a first. He tried very hard not to look shocked.

She was still staring into his eyes. He knew he could get lost in there. He wanted to take her in his arms and-he stepped on that thought. Hard. It wouldn't do him any good to do any more daydreaming.

She broke the spell by standing up and walking towards the door. "I'll leave you to your shower now. Remember, dinner tomorrow at 7pm. Don't be late!" And with that, she left.

As he undressed for his cold shower, he wondered if he would have to cut his ties here and leave now instead of waiting. He had hoped to delay leaving for a few weeks at least, but he wasn't sure that was possible now. It was a depressing thought. He wondered if he would be able to sleep tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

*****Short chapter. Sorry. **

**It's All About The Money – Chapter 3**

Ayano walked home from Kazuma's apartment feeling very happy with herself. His injuries threw a wrench into her plans at first, but even that turned things to her advantage. It was easier to talk to him as she tended to him, as opposed to just staring into his eyes while she asked him to dinner. Not that staring into his beautiful eyes was difficult. What she found difficult was staring into his eyes and carrying on a conversation. She did find herself staring into his eyes while she waited for him to answer her and she did begin to lose her concentration. That's why she had to get up so abruptly to leave. They were alone in his apartment, on his bed, and he was half-naked. And none of that bothered her.

What almost unnerved her, though, was touching him. She cleaned and bandaged his cuts, but what she really wanted to do was stroke his back, run her fingers through his thick hair, kiss the back of his neck... She had to hold herself back from climbing on top of him. She turned a little pink as she walked home, a little embarrassed at her thoughts. But only a little. She was a new person after yesterday and childish things like that didn't bother her as much now.

* * *

Yesterday

Spending all of yesterday thinking things over, she had come to understand a lot about herself and quite a bit about Kazuma as well. And it had all started by looking at a boring old ledger. Who knew that accounting could be so-informative?

Upon reading the ledger entries the day before yesterday she realized immediately that Kazuma was not sticking around because of the money. During her time reflecting yesterday, she recalled what Kirika told her during the Pandemonium incident about Kazuma becoming a better person because of her. Putting those two things together, Ayano knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was there because he loved her. She felt the thrill of that throughout her body when she finally realized it and she couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.

That brought her to something she hadn't looked at too closely yet. How did she really feel about Kazuma? Now that she was sure that he loved her, she found it easy to admit her love for him in turn. Her fear of rejection had been greater than she had imagined. It would have been so embarrassing to have feelings for him and to not have those feelings returned, so she denied it to herself and to everyone else. Her flying into rages whenever he paid attention to other women should have been a clue to him about her feelings, but men can be so dense!

He loved her and she loved him, so... what was the problem? Why weren't they together? The big idiot hasn't said anything to her, that was why. A young lady doesn't simply go throwing herself at a man. The gentleman had to first approach his love and declared to her in no uncertain terms that he loved her and wanted her to be his. That's how it was supposed to work. She knew that her only experience with this was watching romantic movies and wondered if it worked that way in real life. Besides, this was Kazuma, she was talking about. He didn't have a romantic bone in his body. Well, to be fair, he did hold her tenderly when she was upset and he did kiss her hair that one time. That was sweet. He even put himself in danger for her more than once. Maybe he was more romantic than she gave him credit for.

A sudden thought came to her and it left her cold. Why did he push her away? She had thought of that the day she saw the ledger, but hadn't considered it since. He deliberately made her mad with talk of money (and other annoying things) knowing full well that it made her angry at him. He was pushing her away and she had no idea why.

Another sudden thought left her even colder. Kazuma had been acting strangely lately. He used to be at the Kannagi compound almost daily. Now he only showed up once or twice a week, not counting when he was picking her up for some work. If he thought she hadn't noticed, he was mistaken. She had found herself missing him more and more. He was pulling himself out of her life on purpose! Was she wrong about him? Did he not love her after all?

No, she didn't believe that. She'd seen his eyes as he looked at her on many occasions. And his actions spoke louder than any words. He loved her, yet he was pulling away. She felt as if she was going to be sick. He was getting ready to leave! He was going to run away from her, the coward. She was not going to let that happen! What should she do?

Aha! She would take him to a nice restaurant for dinner. She had made him take her out so many times that it was only fair that she take him out at least once. And, she felt really really bad about all those times she made him pay because she thought he made those big bucks. Well, that was his own fault for lying to her about it. She decided to forgive him for his lies about how much he was making. Having him take her to expensive restaurants and paying for her dinners was enough penance. She could eat a lot when she put her mind to it and could ring up quite a bill.

Taking him to a restaurant to talk would close off his escape routes and force him to talk to her. He would try to get her mad and make a scene, of course, but she would just have to rise above that and speak and act calmly. Like an adult woman would.

She arrived home from Kazuma's in great spirits. She had a great plan and she would make Kazuma admit his feelings for her. What could go wrong?

* * *

She was going out to dinner. With Kazuma. Tomorrow night. She needed a new dress! And she knew exactly which one she wanted. She had seen it in a shop window last week and knew that it would be perfect for her, but was already buried in bags and boxes from other purchases that day. She told herself that she would go back for it. And now, she would.

Jugo was less than thrilled at Ayano's request to go shopping and was very reluctant to give her his credit card again. She had just gone clothes shopping last week. Was this really necessary? When his daughter told him that she needed a new dress because she had a big date with Kazuma, he handed over the card immediately. And it was the Black Card! No spending limit. Whoa. He had never entrusted her with that card before. She was humbled at the amount of trust it took for her father to let her use that. She promised that she would use it wisely-and sparingly.

Once she picked up the dress, she realized she needed new shoes. And a new handbag. Her expenditures started to add up, but she was lost in the experience. As she began to eye jewelry stores, she remembered the trust her father had put in her. She immediately left the shopping district and went home. She had plenty of perfectly good jewelry already.

It was just like preparing for battle. She had all her weapons now and she had a battle-plan too. Just like Kazuma taught her. And now, she was going to use that knowledge against him.


	4. Chapter 4

*****Final chapter . Thank you to all who have read this far and special thanks to those who have taken the time to comment. It means more than you know.**

**I didn't really edit this as hard as normal so I apologize for any inconsistencies.**

**It's All About The Money – Chapter 4**

He got to Osaka's at 6:45. Just a little early. It gave him a little time to think but that probably wasn't good. He wondered if he should have declined her invitation to dinner. She obviously had something in mind other than food and he was afraid of what that something might be. Yet a part of him was excited too. He had to admit that any one-on-one time with Ayano outside of work always got his blood going.

She was beautiful, of course, and that could always rouse his interest, but there was more to it. Although she gave people the impression that she was just an excitable hot-head with too much power, he knew that there was more to her than that.

Ayano was intelligent. She was no airhead princess getting by on her good looks and daddy's money. She managed to learn quickly the lessons he taught. Well, learning control of her anger took a long time, but she made progress. There were only one or two things that could set her off and make her act on pure emotion instead of thinking things through. Strangely enough, those few things all had to do with him.

Well, that would be taken care of tonight. He resolved last night that he had to leave. He would go to America and work for the McDonald family for awhile. Catherine would be thrilled, he was sure. After a couple of months of her drama, he would move on to somewhere else.

If he didn't do it now, he would never be able to. He had to leave in order to set her free. Free to follow her destiny. To live and take her rightful place as head of the Kannagi family with a husband who could give her suitable heirs. Without the baggage of his past and his enemies getting in her way. The thought of her being with someone else made him angry. The thought of leaving her left him empty inside. No, he should definitely have declined her invitation to dinner.

A limousine pulled up to the curb. It was Ayano. Right on time. The driver got out and opened the door. The first thing he saw was a beatiful pair of legs and tiny feet touch down on the pavement. What he saw next almost landed _him_ on the pavement.

She stood there for a second as if waiting for the applause. And, make no mistake, there should have been applause. She was stunning. A pale green dress that ended in a thin band of ruffles at her ankles and wrists. The contrast with her hair made her tresses look like they were on fire. To complete the outfit was a small ruby necklace on a thin chain. Her eyes sparkled. She carried herself with confidence, but not arrogance. There was nothing sexier than a woman who looked good and knew it.

All his 'noble' thoughts went right out of his head for a bit. Everything he wanted in life was in front of him. He tried for a casual attitude, but he couldn't do it. She was a vision in that dress. A vision that was walking towards him.

* * *

As soon as she saw his face she knew she had picked the perfect dress. It had fit her right off the rack with no alterations needed. Putting it on made her feel confident and sexy and happy. It as if it was made just for her. He was dazzled, just as she had hoped. His eyes had that stunned looked that she had dreamed about, and a hint of desire. Perfect.

She walked towards him slowly, seductively. She wanted this moment to last. To show the idiot exactly what he was trying to run away from. Ayano knew that she could not convince him to stay this easily, but it was a great start.

"Good evening, Kazuma. You looked great." And he did. She was thrilled to note that he had bought a new suit. A new suit for their date. He was trying to impress her too and it showed that this was important for him too. It was a suit of soft brown to match his hair and eyes and it made him look even more handsome than usual.

It took Kazuma a moment to snap out of his daze. "You look lovely, Ayano.", he said softly, still staring into her eyes. She was going to melt into a puddle right there on the sidewalk, she was certain. He crooked his arm and she placed her hand on it. They walked into the restaurant together. The first round of this fight went to Ayano, for sure.

The interior of Osaka's was as elegant as the exterior. Chandeliers tastefully dotted the ceiling over elegant tables and chairs and a soft, silky carpet of deep blue. They were led to their table by the maître d' and Kazuma held out Ayano's chair for her as they settled in and opened their menus.

The waiter soon arrived to take their drink orders. "A bottle of the house wine, please."

"And for the lady?" he turned towards Ayano.

"I'll have the same please. Just bring another glass."

"Very good, miss." He turned and left.

Kazuma had obviously forgotten that Ayano had recently turned twenty and could now drink. It was another subtle reminder to him that she was an adult now.

"What's so funny, Ayano?" She was hiding her face in the menu as she giggled. She was a woman now, but that didn't mean she had to be a stick-in-the-mud.

"I was waiting for you to say that you would be ordering the most expensive item on the menu. Just like I always do when you are the one paying the bill."

"I'll leave that kind of thing to you" he chuckled.

The waiter returned and poured their wine after Kazuma had inspected it. That reminded Ayano of how much he had traveled the world and that she had spent her whole life in Japan. She decided that she needed some worldly experience too, and that she would have to get out and see other places. And who better to guide her than Kazuma? The thought of traveling to foreign countries and seeing sights she'd only read about, with Kazuma at her side made her excited.

She sipped her wine. Very smooth, but she didn't really like alcohol all that much. She'd only ordered it to prove a point to Kazuma. She held the glass, however, because it was better than just sitting there demurely with both her hands in her lap.

* * *

Kazuma was way off balance and he knew it. He was in a beautiful restaurant, and he was sitting there with the most gorgeous woman in the room. He couldn't be absolutely sure about that because he couldn't take his eyes off Ayano to even glance at anyone else there. Ayano had chosen to sit with her back to the window, which left him sitting with his back to the rest of the room so he could either look at Ayano or the landscape outside. He had no interest in the landscape.

Whatever plan she had cooked up was working. His control of the situation ended as soon as she exited the limo. She had him under a spell, and he wasn't sure he wanted to break it. Why couldn't he have one night to enjoy Ayano like he'd wanted to for so long? Because he just couldn't. It would just get her hopes up, not to mention his own. But it was so tempting.

* * *

As they ate their shrimp appetizers (she insisted on feeding Kazuma using her own shrimp fork, much to his discomfort), Ayano saw that he began to withdraw again. The sparkle was gone from his eyes. She could guess why, but she wasn't going to let it happen. Not tonight. Not ever, if she had her way.

The appetizer dishes were removed and their main courses arrived. Both had chosen lobster. As they each picked at their food, Ayano decided it was time to start to their real topic of conversation.

"Kazuma?"

"What?"

She waited until he met her gaze. "Why do you push me away?"

"What do you mean?"

She wasn't going to dignify that with an answer, so she waited.

"I have to leave, Ayano."

"Why?"

"I've taught you all I can now. Time for me to move on. Time to make money somewhere else."

"No."

"No?"

"No, you won't lie to me about this, Kazuma. I saw the family accounting books. As the heir, I need to learn all about the Kannagi finances. I know that you lied to me about all the money and I know you did it to push me away from you. I deserve to know the truth. Tell me. Why?"

She waited patiently while he collected himself. That's when she glanced up at the ceiling in the center of the room. There was a shadow up there! It was a spirit of some sort and it way trying to loosen the bolts holding one of the big chandeliers. If it fell, it would take out at least 6 people. No-no-no-no! Not now! Her whole evening was going to be ruined and she would never be able to get Kazuma to talk about this again. She kept her face a mask, but inside she was crying and screaming. This wasn't fair!

As she was about to tell Kazuma what was happening and ruin the rest of her life, she saw a thin beam of flame go up from one of the tables and hit the spirit. It couldn't have been thicker than a pencil. It quickly dissolved the creature and immediately the flame winked out. Nobody else had noticed.

She glanced over where the beam came from and saw her father and Renn sitting at a table on the far side of the room. Renn was sipping a glass of water, but Jugo was smiling at Ayano. Now she really wanted to cry. He somehow knew how important this was to Ayano and he was there to make sure that nothing ruined. it. He was the best father in the whole world.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Jugo and Renn got up and left the restaurant. She was so grateful she thought her heart would burst. And Kazuma hadn't noticed any of it.

* * *

He couldn't believe she was so direct with that question, though he should have known better. This was Ayano, after all. Still, he was completely caught off guard when she asked him why he pushed her away. She had figured out what he was doing and he had no answer ready for her. His tongue got tied and his brain went numb. So, he went with some directness of his own and told her he had to leave. Of course she would ask why, but he thought he was prepared for that by telling her that he was done here. She wasn't buying it. He was an idiot.

He was at a loss again, so he decided that since she wanted the truth, he would give it to her. And he did. He reminded her about her responsibility to the family and that she would someday need to get married and have an heir. She reddened slightly at the idea, but she kept silent, waiting for him to finish. He then went on to remind her about his enemies and how his staying around put her in more danger than she needed to be in.

"Why are you really leaving, Kazuma?" He knew what she was getting at and all of a sudden, the idea of telling her seemed like a good idea. He would never get to indulge himself again after tonight. He would at least muster the courage to tell her how he felt about her.

He took a deep breath before answering quietly, "I'm leaving because I love you, Ayano, and I don't want to see you hurt and I don't want to get in the way of your destiny."

He eyes welled up with tears and she took out a handkerchief from her bag. By the time she finished wiping them though, there was fire in her eyes. Yet, when she reached across the table for his hand, her grasp was surprisingly gentle. She stared into his eyes with such intensity that he couldn't look away if he'd wanted to.

* * *

This was her chance to convince him that they could be together, should be together. She had already known his concerns and she was ready to do battle. For both of them.

"I love you too, Kazuma. But I am a grown woman and I will not be led to my 'destiny', as you call it, like a sheep to get sheared. I will decide my own destiny. I will make my own decisions about my life.

About your other concerns. Your enemies are my enemies. Past, present, future. And we will deal with them just as we have always done. Together. I do not believe for one second that you have an enemy out there that has a chance of defeating us together.

Now, about my family obligations. Your father must have skipped your family history lessons, or you just weren't paying attention. What you failed to learn is that Kannagi fire magic is passed on from the maternal side, so 'my husband' would have no bearing on our child's abilities."

Now that was something he didn't know. Genma had concentrated his attention on trying to train his son's weak fire magic abilities and didn't spend much time on anything else. No wonder Jugo had no qualms about Kazuma being with Ayano. He knew all about this too, of course.

Her eyes softened and she squeezed his hands before continuing.

"Please don't run away from me. From us. I know you are scared. So am I. I'm terrified. It's nothing to be ashamed of. What I'm scared of more than anything right now is you leaving me. Everything else we can work out together." Tears ran slowly down her face. "If you run away from me now, I will never forgive you. Can you honestly tell me that you can live with that?"

Kazuma's surrender was inevitable. He didn't stand a chance, he just didn't know it til now. He leaned over the table towards her and whispered "No, I can't live with that." When his lips met hers, she was ready for him. It was her first kiss. That kiss when he gave her elixir didn't count and neither did a kiss on the nose. This was the one she was waiting for. It was soft and tender and everything she had ever dreamed it would be. She reached up to entwine her fingers into the hair at the back of his head and pull him down harder.

Reluctantly, they broke apart, but only so he could stare into her eyes. "I won't run away from you, Ayano. I will not leave. I promise. You are right. We can work out anything together and I'm sorry that I didn't understand that sooner."

She was so deliriously happy, she pulled his head down quickly for another kiss. She didn't care what the other diners thought. All that she knew was that she had won the fight by a knock-out.

The End

**For all you aspiring writers, here's a little plotbunny for you. Kannagi fire magic is passed down from the female side of things. Kazuma's mother died, but it wasn't explained how. Did she commit suicide because she blamed herself for her son's lack of magic talent? Or was something else going on?**


End file.
